Royal open house: A guest receiving ‘duit raya’ from the King and Queen at Istana Anak Bukit.
KUALA LUMPUR: From the King to the young woman who became a mother for the first time, Syawal arrived and brought smiles to Malaysians who greeted the occasion with prayers and feasts.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah joined the faithful for prayers at the Federal Territory Mosque.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Cabinet ministers and foreign dignitaries also attended.
In the states, the respective Sultan or Yang di-Pertua Negri joined worshippers at the mosques.
In Putrajaya, the crowd was overwhelming at Najib’s Hari Raya open house at Seri Perdana.
“I am delighted at the large turnout, which was more than expected. The stream of well-wishers seemed endless,” Najib said on Wednesday.
Many guests took selfies to record their happy moments and the feasting there.
The guests began arriving as early as 8.30am and were allowed into the Seri Perdana compound after they were scanned and their bags inspected.
They underwent a final scan before entering the official residence.
In the afternoon, Najib and Rosmah, who were accompanied by Cabinet ministers, attended the cutting of a 100kg cake under a canopy where the guests enjoyed satay, rendang, lemang, ketupat and nasi himpit.
All were pleasantly surprised when Najib and Rosmah sang a traditional Hari Raya song.
German tourist Volker Heim, 52, said he was surprised at the warm reception and the diversity of people at the event.
“I love the food here, especially that meat on a stick,” he said, referring to the satay.
Ma Guo Lin, 47, a Muslim tourist from China’s Xinjiang province, said this was his first Hari Raya in Malaysia.
“The atmosphere here is good, I like it. The food here is delicious too,” he said.
Suhaidah Osuan, 39, said she had been attending the open house at Seri Perdana with her family for the past seven years.
The mother of four said she would continue the tradition unless she has to return to her hometown in Sabah for Hari Raya.
At Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Zaidatul Azni, 23, was thrilled with the arrival of her baby girl on the first day of Syawal.
“I am also thrilled that I can also celebrate the Hari Raya with my husband after three years of marriage. He is a sailor and was always away at work,” she said.
Her delivery date was supposed to be next week.
“I guess my baby is excited about entering the world,” said Zaidatul who was rushed to hospital on Hari Raya eve when her water broke.
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